Where to live near Alexandria????

New to DC

Can anyone offer advice on where to live?  Hubby will be working near Old Town Alexandria.  We are looking to rent for about 2 years and would love a family-friendly neighborhood for our 2 and 4 yr old boys!

Mama Angelina

Congrats and welcome!  Del Ray is a wonderful place to live.  There is so much within walking distance, and it is SUPER family friendly.  Maybe a little pricey to rent?  Not sure, but I guess everything is pricey so close to DC.  Fairlington and Park Fairfax are also great places to raise families, and they are townhouse/condo communities further North near Shirlington, but about an 8-10 minute drive to Old Town. 

mamabear2010

Kingstowne in the 22315 zip code is a really nice family-friendly area that is about 15-20 minutes from Old Town. There are new-ish elementary schools, lots of restaurants and shopping areas, although not really within walking distance.

BabyHatch

We live in Parfairax and love it. It's really convenient to Old Town, Shirlington, Del Ray, DC, etc. Very family friendly. Fairlington is another great option. Both are condo/townhouse communities.

earlysun

If you're looking to rent a single-family home, look in the North Springfield neighborhood. It's a little further out than the locations PP mentioned, but still inside the beltway. It's a cute 50s neighborhood with mostly split levels and ramblers, big yards and sidewalks. The elementary school is great and has an awesome playground.

Smudges*Mom

Another vote, if you can afford it, for Del Ray. It is walkable, has shops and local businesses, playgrounds, and, the neighborhood school is good. Good luck with your move!

kafunder

mamabear2010:

Kingstowne in the 22315 zip code is a really nice family-friendly area that is about 15-20 minutes from Old Town. There are new-ish elementary schools, lots of restaurants and shopping areas, although not really within walking distance.

We don't live in Kingstowne proper but off South Kings Highway about a mile closer to Route 1 (22306 area code), and we love it. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get to Old Town, we live between Target and the stores in Kingstowne, it's not too far from Metro, etc. We're also really close to the Lee District Center, which has a wonderful new spray park and other facilities for the kids. We're so glad we moved to our neighborhood (the Woodstone HOA).

victoria1212

we are in Cameron Station and really like it (zip code 22304). There are several parks, a Sunday Farmer's Market plus pool and other amenities. And, it is only 3 miles from Old Town.

Artslvr

Shirlington, Parkfairfax or Fairlington - highly recommend.  A little further away - North Springfield and the part of Alexandria that is Fairfax County (not the City of Alexandria proper) - also highly recommend.  Look in zip codes 22312, 22151, 22302  

BirdGirl01

What's your budget?  I second (third, fourth?) Fairlington.  I also really like where I used to live - near the Eisenhower metro, but it's apartments--not town houses or single family homes. 

My neighborhood is great - and very family friendly.  Rentals aren't common, but there are some.  A SFH would start at about $3500/month.  If that's workable, let me know and I'll PM you some zip codes to look at.

NewlywedInNewYork

We are also in Cameron Station and love love love it!